Wadsworth A. Jarrell (American, b. 1929). Revolutionary (Angela Davis), 1971. Acrylic and mixed media on canvas, 64 × 51 in. (162.6 × 129.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of R.M. Atwater, Anna Wolfrom Dove, Alice Fiebiger, Joseph Fiebiger, Belle Campbell Harriss, and Emma L. Hyde, by exchange; Designated Purchase Fund, Mary Smith Dorward Fund, Dick S. Ramsay Fund, and Carll H. de Silver Fund, 2012.80.18. © Wadsworth Jarrell
Revolution! Works from the Black Arts Movement
February 5, 2014–May 3, 2015
During the late sixties and seventies, the Black Arts Movement sprung up in the U.S. as the cultural expression of Black Power politics. Its leadership, which included poets, playwrights, musicians, and fine artists, rejected the dominance of the largely white mainstream art establishments that undervalued their work as black artists and created a radical alternative artistic movement based on social and political ideologies rather than narrow aesthetic dictates.
In 2012, we acquired forty-four works of art from the Black Arts Movement. Revolution! Works from the Black Arts Movement displays seven of these works from seven different artists. The strong and vibrant images on exhibit are a testament to the stylistic scope of the Black Arts Movement.
This installation is organized by Dalila Scruggs, former Assistant Curator of American Art, Brooklyn Museum.